Saturday, January 7, 2012

Got The Blues? Work It Out!

Ever have one of those days where you just don't feel like getting out of bed? Feeling kind of blue and down in the dumps and like you'd rather just skip out on life for the day than bother dealing with it?

Well, I'm here to tell you there's a little trick you should know about that works almost every time to beat that feeling of "having the blues".

One of the most mood elevating things you can do for yourself when you're having 'one of those days' is to get up, get out and get a good workout in.

Yup, that's right. Do the exact opposite of what you FEEL like doing and you will almost definitely FEEL BETTER at the end of it.

It's been proven time and time again that working out gets your endorphins racing and increases levels of serotonin in your brain, which in turn elevates your mood.

So get outside (or stay inside if you must, but I personally find that getting fresh air is great for getting a good mood on). Once you're there, START MOVING.

There are so many ways to get exercise that I can even barely begin to list them all here. But here are a few suggestions:

A hard cardio workout might be one of the fastest ways to get the endorphins racing around inside you quickly.

Go for a quick powerwalk, run or a bicycle ride. Rollerblading or cross-country skiing are also great options.

If you can find a beautiful place to do your workout, like a beach, a wooded trail or a snowy mountaintop, that's going to help, too.

Who doesn't feel great at the beach, on a mountain or in the woods? It doesn't even have to be a very long session to get that mood elevating effect. Even twenty minutes should do the trick.

Or try lifting some weights or doing some bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges and pushups if you don't have any traditional strength training equipment at your disposal.

You can even combine the cardio component and the strength training component by doing some supercircuits with things like burpees and mountain climbers that get your heart racing but give your muscles a pump at the same time.

Even swimming can be fun … and gets that body moving and that heart rate up sufficiently. Do a few laps at the pool or down at the beach.

The trick here is to get breathing hard , get your heart rate up, your blood pumping and your body moving. The harder you can get your body, heart and lungs working, the better you are going to feel.

Heck, use your imagination and get childish about it.

Find some fun things to do, preferably with kids or animals. Their energy can be infectious!

Run, jump, play fetch with your dog, chase a frisbee or jump through a sprinkler with your kids.

Go to the playground with them and climb the monkey bars, swing on the swings, go down the slide, push the carousel or just run amok.

It doesn't take long for a downer attitude to turn into a fabulous mood once you get that body moving and those endorphins doing their job.

So don't be a victim to the blues anymore.

Get out there and do battle … and feel BETTER!

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